Cause of mysterious peacock deaths revealed in environmental Cluedo

In January, the EPA said it suspected a poisoning and has not ruled it out. A spokesperson said on Monday that the EPA took both accidental and deliberate misuse seriously, and called for anyone with information to contact them on 131 555.

Jacob Bullock, who runs bird sanctuary Feathers and Fur Small Animal Rescue in Cessnock, was called in to care for some abandoned peacock eggs after one of the mother peahens was poisoned, since many close wildlife rescue groups only take native animals. One of the eggs was empty, another was already deceased, and the third hatched with deformities and did not make it, which Bullock said was a common outcome when incubation was disrupted.

Whether the poisoning was intentional or accidental, Bullock said it affected more than just the peacocks.

“It is also doing damage to our local wildlife – the local brushtail [possum] population would be affected by it as well, which is probably going under the radar,” Bullock said.

He said people should use bait stations, available from any hardware store, to avoid poisoning wildlife or pets, and also read the labels to avoid products that could cause secondary poisoning of birds of prey, such as owls.

Kerri Taylor, a member of the Ourimbah/Lisarow Peacocks Facebook group for supporters of the birds, said she put feed out for the peacocks and especially enjoyed seeing the mothers and babies. “They’re lovely to have around,” she said.

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A Ourimbah resident of seven years, Taylor has heard several different versions of the peacocks’ origins, including that they had been there since the area was subdivided in the 1970s.

State MP David Mehan, who’s lived in Ourimbah since the 1990s, said most people were “fairly fond” of the peacocks, but he also heard from their detractors, and it was possible it could have been deliberate.

“Ourimbah is busier than it used to be and I think the peacocks have gotten used to vehicles slowing down for them, which annoys certain people,” Mehan said. “Sometimes people complain the peacocks stand on their cars and make a lot of noise in the morning.”